Grandkids: Andrew, Anthony, Avery & Aiden & Daylan

Daylan, (Ashley & Will's Daughter) with Aiden & Avery (Amy & Bobby's two youngest).

Andrew and Anthony are Amy & Bobby's first two sons.

The Grandkids Ethan & Marlee

Ethan is 8. He is Great!

Marlee is 4, who we adore! They are the children of Aaron & Stephanie.

Ashley

Ashley is Ruth's youngest daughter who lives in Savannah, Ga. She is married to Will and has a wonderful 4 year old daughter named Daylan. Ashley is a hard working young lady who at times works as many as 3 jobs while pursuing a degree to become an elementary teacher. She has her Mom's energy and is very bright. She recently scored high on an aptitude test and will be a great teacher some day. Ashley is one of those special people who you just know has greatness inside of her and a special call of God on her life. She is the youngest of "our" daughters and we love her very much. I am blessed to have her in my ever expanding family.

Stephanie

I have known Stephanie since she was a tiny little girl. She is the second daughter of one of the finest Christian couples I know who are to this day great friends, Randy & Tammy Voight. We met in the mid-1980's when we attended the same church in Amarillo, Texas and have remained close ever since. Aaron and Stephanie were friends when they were children then one day something just clicked and they were in love. They married in August of 2004 and she became one of the best things to ever happen to our family. We love her very much and it is easy because she is pretty close to perfect, after all, she loves my son and gave me two of the best grandkids ever, Ethan and Marlee! Stephanie is great with children and teaches in a school for kids with special needs. She is also great with animals, especially horses. She has trained horses to barrel race and rides "like the wind"! She is Aaron's prayer partner and has a great understanding of the things of God. We are so blessed!

Angielyn

Ruth's second daughter, Angielyn, had her 30th birthday on May 21st. She married Matthew Hughes last September 19th in Savannah, Ga. They have since moved to Tulsa where Matt is learning how to fly airplanes. Angielyn is full of life and is the life of any party. She is a joy to be around and with her there is never a dull moment. She and her Mom talk almost every day and are very close. She loves to read and is growing spiritually every day. God has given her some awesome poems and songs with which she expresses some deep insights. One thing I love about her is---she received me whole heartedly and has become a good friend. Like her Mom, I am very proud of her and happy she is part of my growing family.

Amy

Amy Donohue is one of my "new" daughters acquired when Ruth and I married in October 2008. She has a birthday on April 24th. Amy is married to Bobby Donohue and has four sons, Andrew (16) Anthony (14) Avery (9) and Aiden (8). They live in the mountains above Knoxville, Tn. near Smokey Mt. National Park.

Amy works part time as a hair stylist, teacher's assistant, and staging homes for sale. Most of her time is taken up with her busy family. She is a wonderful Christian lady with a heart for helping people in need. Most of all, she is her mother's dear friend. They talk by phone almost every day. It is a joy to watch Ruth's eyes light up when Amy calls and to listen to their loving conversations.

Amy was the first of Ruth's family for me to talk to....she wanted to know "my intentions" and grilled me for several minutes on the phone. I must have passed the test though, because she has received me warmly and treated me with daughterly respect.

I feel blessed and greatly enriched for having her in my family. Thank the Lord for this added benefit to being married to Ruth!

Heather Fawn

She arrived late in the afternoon after hours of labor on Wednesday, April 9, 1975 at Garland Memorial Hospital. My friend Robert Yarbrough and I had to wait in the hall while she was born C-section. The nurse brought her out in a rolling incubator and she was protesting loudly. Later, as we watched her in the nursery window, people around us remarked at what a beautiful baby she is, to which we agreed whole heartedly. No brag, just fact. Over the years, Heather has made a profound impact upon everyone she has met. There were no strangers. She has always been bright, talkative, talented, and smart. Way too smart sometimes. She came to know the Lord personally at 3 years and has loved Him and served Him faithfully since. She is the family historian, scribe, and maintains relationships better than anyone I know. She has much of her mother in her and grandmothers, grandfathers, etc. It is hard to tell which one she is the most like. Some say that she even has some of her dad in her too. Heather has done just about everything that can be done in the church to help us out. She spent many years with her Mom on the worship teams and taught classes from when she was just a teen. Today, she has converts and disciples all over the world who look to her for godly advise. I know this one thing for sure, I am very proud of her! Probably the most wonderful thing about her is her love for the lost and total commitment to winning them to Jesus. She is a soul winner. Can't think of anything that could please me more (and God too). Happy Birthday Heather Fawn!

Aaron Lee Thomason

My son, Aaron Lee, was born on March 3, 1978 at Garland Memorial Hospital in Dallas County, Texas. Our first child, Heather, was born cesearean section, so when Aaron came along, we just made an 8:oo a.m. appointment and he was delivered by 8:30 a.m.

I remember waiting in the hallway outside of the operating room (in those days Dads were not allowed in operating rooms) with my friend Robert Yarbrough. Robert was also with me when Heather was born. The nurse brought Aaron out wrapped in a white blanket and let me hold him briefly. He was small, red and quiet (Heather was not). Later when we saw him in the nursery window, he reached over and pulled his blanket over his naked body as if to say, "How about some privacy please!"

Well, Aaron is now 32, married to a wonderful lady (Stephanie) with two children, Ethan (8) and Marlee (1 yr 11 mos.) He is a great guy and good friend to his dad. He leads our worship services at church and works as a claim adjuster for an insurance company. He loves Jesus and is a true Christian man. I am very proud of him.

We see each other pretty often at church and family gatherings. It is fun to watch him interact with people. He is a true leader and commands the respect and admiration of all. I love to watch him with his true love, Stephanie, and witness the father's joy in his eyes as he relates with his children. Sometimes he reminds me of me, then other times I see his mother in him. Then on different occasions, I can see his grandfathers. He is truly MY son and their grandson!

With each passing year as he gets older and I get more sentimental, I have to pause and thank the Lord for this one very special gift that He sent along to bless me and the world.

Love

February is often called the "Love Month" because of Valentine's Day. I think it is always a good thing to be reminded of the importance of love and to reflect on the many loves one enjoys in this life; Mother's love, Father's love, sibling love, romantic love, etc. It is also a good thing to remember the Author and Source of love, God Himself. The Word of God states clearly that God IS love and if you don't love, you don't know God. The term that describes God is "agape" which is the highest and most wonderful form of love. It involves self sacrifice and faithfulness. God "so loved" that He gave His only Son to die for the sins of humanity. God's love is so intense that He loves faithfully throughout all generations. His love for Abraham extends to us today. We are blessed because of a special friendship between God and Abraham that took place thousands of years ago. God's love burns so hot that it never grows cold, even unto a thousand generations!

Romans 5:5 tells us that this great love of God is "shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost". Wow! Imagine the potential we have for loving people because His love fills our hearts. I am convinced that we have the capacity to love many more people than we think and the more we chose to love the greater that capacity becomes. It is like a couple with a growing family. They love the last child as much as the first.

That blesses me because the Bible says that Jesus is the "first born of many brethren" meaning we are born to the family of God. God loves us as much as His First Born!

Meditate on this for awhile and just see if you don't feel that love growing inside of you.

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